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Karakal SLti 80..but faster

I've been using a Karakal SLti 80 for the last couple of weeks. It's a fantastic racket. It generates more power than my previous favourite racket, and it feels as good as, or better than, my last racket in every way except for one.

I primarily play doubles, and the racket feels just slightly less maneuverable. This got me thinking whether the SL70 or SL75 (or one of their new Revo rackets) are more head-light than the SLti80, or whether they the same in terms of balance.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Or have I been caught out by the racket dichotomy of power versus maneuverability.

I'm not a very advanced player, but I have used an SL70 a couple of times, and I have to say that while it is light, it's not really that noticeable. The weight saving that Karakal have done on the shaft and head is entirely negated by the huge, bulky, tennis-style grip that they have put on it. Replace that with a standard slim one and I imagine that it would be a nicely manoeuvrable racquet.

Buy some lead tape and put it on the handle of your SL80. You'll sacrifice some power but you'll still have the racket you love and it'll be considerably cheaper than buying a new one. If it still doesn't feel right, buy another racket, you'll only have spent a couple of quid.

I did think of adding lead tape to the handle to move the BP but I thought this would add overall weight to the racket and change it's characteristics.

That's why I was considering an SL70 or 75. I can add weight to the handle or head as needed and (hopefully) keep the overall weight no more than the SL80.

Good idea. That is why I have some MTec 70s - so I can put a load of lead on the head but keep it light.

Go for the SL70 and lead it up if you need to change the balance a lot or SL 75 if you don't need to move the BP a lot. All of the SL rackets feel the same, they just save weight in the shafts. Therefore, you could get a lighter SL and it would feel like your SL 80, just with a different BP.

I've been using a Karakal SLti 80 for the last couple of weeks. It's a fantastic racket. It generates more power than my previous favourite racket, and it feels as good as, or better than, my last racket in every way except for one.

I primarily play doubles, and the racket feels just slightly less maneuverable. This got me thinking whether the SL70 or SL75 (or one of their new Revo rackets) are more head-light than the SLti80, or whether they the same in terms of balance.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Or have I been caught out by the racket dichotomy of power versus maneuverability.

I have the Revo M76 and it is pretty ok. It has a slim iso head like the Arc Saber 10. In a departure from the naming convention for Karakal, the weight of the M76 is actually 75grams ! At least that's what printed on the racquet head unless mine is a dud.

So far, all the Karakal series (SL, MTEC, Revo) has a bp between 290 - 300mm. The material used is also pretty much the same so the main difference would be the head shape, Ovals (SL), Iso with muscle power (MTEC) and Slim Iso (Revo). They are all similar in terms of stiffness.

However, they do differ in terms of speed and power. I find the heavier racquets like the MTEC 80/85 much easier to generate power though power player like Danstevens can smash harder with the Mtec70 than I can with the Mtec85. I find the Revo faster in terms of swing speed but I can't get as much power from it.